Bangor Police Clearing Out Homeless Encampment

The Bangor Police Department has given notice to the homeless that have been living in an encampment on the river.

For the most part, police tend to leave such encampments alone in the summer. They will break up the homeless communities in the late fall, as the cold weather moves in, encouraging the residents to find alternate accommodations in shelters and out of the dangerous weather. But in the summer, as long as everyone's living in harmony, the police don't get involved.

In recent weeks, however, police have seen increased violence at the homeless tent city along the Penobscot River. In the most public altercation, a transient from New York was arrested in connection with a fight that left one man with stab wounds and another with a broken arm. Residents of the camp told WABI-TV that it's usually a quiet place to live, but that sometimes you get mostly younger people who are using drugs and causing problems.

They went on to say that the police are very nice about the encampment eviction notices, often handing out gift cards to help ease the sting of being forced to move. Officers will also offer assistance in finding new housing to anyone interested in moving to an indoor location. Some of the residents, however, prefer living outside and say that they will likely move into the woods.